Potentially Available Shortstops

The trade market for shortstops looks thin this summer. Here’s a closer look:

Marco Scutaro, Rockies – Scutaro figures to draw considerable interest because he can play second base and shortstop while contributing at the plate. Though he’s mostly playing second in Denver, he has considerable experience at shortstop, including 27 games at the position in 2012. The 36-year-old infielder has a .277/.329/.372 batting line in 2012. He earns $6MM this year and will hit free agency this coming offseason.

Willie Bloomquist, Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks could consider offers for Bloomquist once John McDonald returns from the disabled list. Bloomquist, 34, has a .294/.324/.393 batting line and earns $1.9MM per season for 2012 and 2013. Now that Stephen Drew is back, Bloomquist is on the bench.

Cody Ransom, Brewers – The Brewers could trade Ransom if they become sellers this month. The infielder has a .214/.313/.403 batting line in 177 plate appearances so far this year and has played shortstop 32 times.

Brendan Ryan, Mariners – Teams might be willing to overlook Ryan's .187/.287/.276 slash line because of his reputation as a tremendous defender. He's earning $1.75MM this year and will be arbitration eligible this coming offseason.

Jamey Carroll, Twins – Carroll, 38, has a .234/.318/.278 batting line and more than $5MM remaining on his contract with Minnesota, so he wouldn’t have much trade value.

Jed Lowrie, Astros – Lowrie is essentially unavailable, Ken Rosenthal reported five days ago. The Dodgers recently asked about Lowrie, who has an impressive .254/.343/.461 batting line in his first season as a National Leaguer.

Rumors and speculation surrounded Starlin Castro early on this year, but it appears that the 22-year-old is staying put.

Comments

The Dbacks would be far more likely to get more for Drew than they would for Bloomquist, and Bloomquist is signed reasonably through next season. Drew’s time in AZ needs to be up. It simply makes no sense that they would trade Bloomquist (their spark plug) when the on-field and at the plate chemistry between him and J-Mac has been a winning combination.

Let’s have another obligatory.. “Where is the Punto recycle bin for free” post here, since Punto plays SS also and don’t think anyone still wants his 2/3m contract regardless.. Still.. he can play SS and his name was missing from the list.

If I guy brings a .280/.350/.425 skillset to the table, that’s pretty good for a middle infield role. If he’s limited to first base or left field defensively, then he’s probably a borderline starter / backup type guy, as it’s far easier to find offense at 1B/LF than it is up the middle.

because a good defensive SS can cover a lot of deficiencies in the overall infield, meaning you can survive with suspect defense at any of the other positions. This essentially allows a team to go for more offense at one or more of these positions.

I’m not entirely sure Barney’s got the range for a major league shortstop, but other than that he’s certainly got the hands for it.

It’s probably just a relative rarity thing. It’s harder to find someone with the defensive skillset to play SS who also has offensive talent than it is to find someone with the defensive skillset to play 2B who also has offensive talent.

If you don’t have a Tulowitzki type at SS, who can cover for offensive weakness at another position, you need to find players who bring that offensive package to round out your lineup, and they’re more likely to exist at 2B than SS. As a result, you want your defensively versatile players at SS, so you aren’t competing for the relatively rarer combination of SS ability and strong hitting, and can acquire the somewhat more common strong hitter at 2B.

Don’t get crazy on Ciriaco. There’s a reason he’s been in AAA for this long.

But I agree – Aviles should be on this list, if the Red Sox were smart. I’m not sure his value is anything at this point (he would have been worth a more about 3 weeks ago), but it’s time to start the Iglesias era.

I still can’t believe people thought Starlin was gonna actually be available. Kid is 22 and really good, he’s exactly the type of player you hold onto when rebuilding. Unless someone offered up 3 amazing near ready prospects it would make no sense to move him.

so do I. I see no realistic scenario in which the Cubs move Castro in the foreseeable future. My point is more that a team like the Cubs, who are making a significant overhaul of the entire organization, Shouldn’t be declaring anyone ‘unavailable’ when moving one piece can fix a lot of issues.

Always liked willie b. hope the braves make a move for him. He would give us a bat and glove at SS until simmons returns, then to the bench and wilson released. He can play the infield and corner positions. Cost about a 1mil for this season and 2mil for 2013.

I am extremely annoyed that Jack Wilson was left off this list. I consider Jack a better fielder than Brendan Ryan and when healthy (and he is) and given a chance to play every day (he isn’t), he has always been an All Star quality shortstop. The Pirates traded him into a nightmare situation as the Mariners basically buried him (changing leagues is not easy as even the Angels’ Very Expensive first baseman can tell you) and the Braves haven’t been any better. Almost no ballplayer can thrive getting one at bat a month – if Jack were given a chance to play on a regular or semi-regular basis, there is no doubt in my mind that he could hit .270 or better, as well as providing stellar defense. And while it may not count in the box score, Jack is a team leader, a mentor and one of baseball’s most dedicated players when it comes to community service. He deserves a chance to play.